Finding out your baby may have a problem with its development in the womb is one of the most difficult experiences for new parents to go through. For all pregnancies, the chance of your baby having some form of developmental problem is 2-3%, which is up to 1 in 33 pregnancies. Most parents will feel a range of emotions such as feeling upset, anxious, responsible or overwhelmed. Why me? and how did this happen? are common questions.

Developmental problems can occur due to a variety of reasons, but often, this is sadly due to simple chance alone. The likelihood that you or your partner is responsible for a developmental problem in your baby is very uncommon indeed and you should not blame yourselves. The good news about chance is that in future pregnancies the risk of these problems occurring, or what we call recurrence risk, is usually very low. Some times however, there are certain factors that increase the likelihood of developmental problems in your baby occurring, such as maternal health disease, medications, exposures or due to our genetics or our family inheritance. Your specialist will discuss this with you in detail.

At the Special Pregnancy Program we have a team of dedicated high-risk obstetricians (called maternal fetal medicine specialists), fetal medicine nurses, geneticists, paediatricians, surgeons, social workers and a dedicated perinatal mental health team to help you and your family during your pregnancy. We aim to care for you in a holistic way that offers you complete care of your pregnancy, the latest in fetal imaging and therapy and the chance to meet with Canada’s experts to ensure you and your baby are given the very best of care. We know this can be a difficult and stressful time for you but please be assured we will be with you, and the many other families we care for, every step of the way.